Successful use of apps: Analysis makes the difference

App tracking presents a whole new set of challenges compared to web analytics. Image: © alphaspirit / fotolia.comFROM VINCENT SCHLECKER*, Mindlab Solutions Ltd.How many visitors come to the website? How well are a publisher's online articles received? Do the advertising banners match the environment and visitors? When it comes to classic websites, operators and marketing managers agree: only with the right and up-to-date information is serious quality control and ongoing improvement of the offering possible.Less care with app trackingFor the evaluation, those responsible track the usage behavior of the target group, measure the reach and derive optimization measures from this. However, if the user does not use the website but an app, this flow of information dries up. When it comes to app tracking, many companies are less careful. For companies and advertisers, mobile applications offer the opportunity to reach their target group with minimal wastage and to respond to their interests. App operators are currently facing fierce cut-throat competition, while user demands continue to rise.But data protection comes before any analysis. "Apple and Google have set up very high hurdles in this area, and consumers in general have become more aware. A tracking provider must not succumb to the temptation of using loopholes," says Mario Ciccarese, Managing Director at Mindlab Solutions, the provider of professional web and app analysis. "Our technology also complies with the strict Swiss data protection guidelines because we do not collect any personal data. As a German manufacturer, we also offer an in-house solution for the user data generated from the apps; this means that the tracked results do not migrate abroad, as is the case with other providers."What does professional app tracking do?Mobile Internet access via smartphone and tablet is rising continuously. In conjunction with geotracking, i.e. the ability to determine the location of the device user, mobile advertising is therefore becoming increasingly important. As a result, app tracking is automatically becoming more important. Tracking is the only way to reliably and quickly analyze whether a mobile advertising campaign is a success or not.But even highly flexible analysis tools can only measure accurately if the goals are precisely defined and the key figures are adapted to them. For example, advertising experts are interested in how sensitive users are to advertising - i.e., whether they feel annoyed by advertising on mobile devices or whether there is still potential for further advertising. In addition, the target group is often less bothered by advertising if it corresponds to their interests.Website type should be distinguishedThe standard key figures that should be collected in an app provide information on the topics of reach, content, goals, usability and client information. In addition, Mindlab Solutions offers evaluations for the reach of advertising or shopping cart analyses, among other things. It is of great importance to distinguish classic website, mobile-optimized website, web or native app in the analysis.The requirements for apps are different from those for websites that are accessed via a browser on a desktop: Mobile users use smaller displays, surf on the go, operate a touchpad instead of a mouse, and switch between portrait and landscape modes. Such analyses are only performed by providers who can deliver results that are individually tailored to app usage. The analysis aims to equip the app for these specific challenges. Since, for example, optimizing the display for portrait or landscape format and for the respective operating system involves costs, the need for this additional function should be determined first.Screen display decisiveAnd last but not least, whether the application is displayed on the small screen of a smartphone or on the comfortable display of a tablet PC with seven to ten inches plays a role. The new challenges in analysis also include the fact that customers use several devices at the same time to do their banking, find out about a company, or browse in stores - for example, because the display is too small for them. For example, a customer visits a store on his smartphone, logs in, looks at a product and adds it to his notepad. In the evening, he views the product on the larger computer screen and makes the purchase.Cross-device tracking from Mindlab SolutionsAll these steps are to be kept together under one ID - while taking data security and data protection into account. Store operators clearly contribute to better usability through a notepad function, as the products previously searched for by the customer can also be found quickly, and in the best case on all devices with which the customer visits a store. Mindlab Solutions has taken up this challenge and can perform cross-device tracking under certain conditions.In the area of mobile tracking, both the size of the stored data and the not always continuously available Internet connection must be taken into account. The solution is client-level tracking, i.e. directly in the app, as offered by Mindlab Solutions. Here, all tracking events are stored as compressed data in an offline buffer that logs all events even if the Internet connection is temporarily unavailable, for example, in flight mode.As soon as a fixed connection is available again, this "buffered"" data is transferred to the server. The processes in the background should not affect the use of the app, and the user should not notice any disruptive changes in the app's performance.No web analytics "in smallAn app analysis is therefore not simply a web analysis "in miniature". Professional app tracking reveals technical errors and provides information about the acceptance of the app. Those who rely exclusively on download figures instead of determining the opening rate, for example, miss out on whether the app is actually being actively used. Only active users see both content and advertising banners. The goal must therefore be to maintain the connection with the app user.Mario Ciccarese is convinced: "The use of the mobile Internet continues to rise, and apps play a central role in this. This is a great opportunity for everyone involved. It is therefore crucial to track the success and potential of apps. Corresponding analysis tools must allow for individually selected key figures and be scalable in order to cope with the growing reach. There are many exciting developments underway - cross-device tracking stands out among them."*Vincent Schlecker is a product manager at Mindlab Solutions and has been involved in web analytics since 2009. He has been primarily responsible for supporting and helping to develop app tracking since the initial phase at Mindlab Solutions. Mindlab Solutions offers professional web and app analysis for the highest demands and is one of the pioneers in the field of web analysis in Germany. The solutions are individualized according to customer requirements and guarantee the highest possible level of data protection. The company was founded in 1999 as a spin-off of the Fraunhofer IAO, has its headquarters in Esslingen am Neckar and today employs around 30 people. Its customers include Allianz, Spiegel Online, Datev and O2.